Constellations: A Play

Constellations: A Play

Nick Payne

Language: English

Pages: 96

ISBN: 086547771X

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub

"A singular astonishment." ―John Lahr, The New YorkerOne relationship. Infinite possibilities. In the beginning Marianne and Roland meet at a party. They go for a drink, or perhaps they don't. They fall madly in love and start dating, but eventually they break up. After a chance encounter in a supermarket they get back together, or maybe they run into each other and Marianne reveals that she's now engaged to someone else and that's that. Or perhaps Roland is engaged. Maybe they get married, or maybe their time together will be tragically short. Nick Payne's Constellations is a play about free will and friendship; it's also about quantum multiverse theory, love, and honey.

having trouble – Numbers, words, on the page. I don’t know how to explain it. Typing. Typing, as well. Roland In what way? Marianne I know the word. I know the word I’m trying to type. But I don’t know the letters. None of the letters seem right. Rea Rea Rea 78 I don’t think that I can go back to work. Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Either I’m Have they told you that? They’re great. You’ve told them then? Not yet. But you’re going to. I think

We can do whatever we want. I don’t – I’m being serious. I don’t – I mean it. I I don’t 29 We can’t. I have to have to make a I have to have a choice. Control. Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland Marianne All right? Where have you been? Pub. I sent you a text. I know. Why didn’t you text me back? Dunno. What does that mean? It means I dunno. Means I didn’t think it was urgent. I didn’t know where you were. I just told you. Now, you just

you? Hope I didn’t scare you? No. A bit. Maybe. I mean, a bit. Sorry. Are you, are you here for the ballroom class? Yeah, no, yeah, I am, yeah. Ballroom, really? Heather’s getting married. Heather? My sister. Heather, of course. I’ve been ordered to sort out my two left feet or else. Did you, did you know that I was going to be here? What? Did I – Know that I was going to be here? 45 Roland No. No, of course not. Beat. Marianne Roland. Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland

Roland In what way? Marianne I know the word. I know the word I’m trying to type. But I don’t know the letters. None of the letters seem right. Rea Rea Rea I don’t think that I can go back to work. Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Roland Marianne Have they told you that? They’re great. You’ve told them then? Not yet. But you’re going to. I think so. What about part-time? I don’t know the point. You mean the point of going part-time? Either I’m walking or I’m 62

right – I’ll go upstairs and get my fucking handbag and you 64 can rifle through the plethora of leaflets if it bothers you that fucking – Roland Marianne Roland All right. All right. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. What can we do? There’s nothing anyone can do, Roland. What do they suggest? What do they suggest we do? Marianne He said they can operate. Try and remove it, remove as much of it as they can. Then they said radiotherapy but if I’m too weak for radiotherapy, they said chemo. Shitload of